An interactive video system is provided that is capable of combining streaming televised events with video conferencing technology to create a social television experience. A first user is able to connect via a webcam and microphone to a server that combines the webcam video and sound from the microphone with a streaming video that could be a televised event. The combined webcam video, microphone sound, and streaming video is then broadcast to the first user and other users such that the users are capable of viewing the streaming video with the live conferencing video and sound from the first user. This procedure may be repeated such that a plurality of users may video conference live on top of the streaming video.
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17. A method of presenting an interactive video display comprising:
receiving a plurality of audio/visual (AN) streams at a host from a plurality of clients coupled to the host and an event broadcast from an event broadcaster,
wherein the event broadcaster is separate from the host and
wherein each client of the plurality of clients is configured to receive the event broadcast from the event broadcaster directly;
combining at least a portion of the plurality of AN streams and the event broadcast to produce a combined A/V stream; and
transmitting the combined A/V stream to at least one of the plurality of clients for simultaneous presentation of the combined A/V stream with an event broadcast on a display device at the at least one plurality of clients.
1. An interactive video system comprising:
a host, wherein the host receives a plurality of audio/visual (A/V) streams from an event broadcaster coupled to the host and a plurality of clients coupled to the host,
wherein the event broadcaster is separate from the host,
wherein the event broadcaster produces an event broadcast, wherein the event broadcast is part of the plurality of A/V streams,
wherein the event broadcast is directly transmitted from the event broadcaster to the plurality of clients, and
wherein the host includes
a database server and
an application server,
wherein the host is configured to combine at least a portion of the plurality of A/V streams to produce a combined A/V stream, and
wherein the host is configured to transmit the combined A/V stream to at least one of the plurality of clients for simultaneous presentation of the combined A/V stream with the event broadcast on a display device at the at least one client.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with software stored thereon for presenting an interactive video display, wherein the software is configured to instruct one or more processing devices to perform steps comprising:
receiving an first audio/visual (“A/V”) stream at a host from an event broadcaster, wherein the first A/V stream is part of an event broadcast which is broadcast by the event broadcaster;
receiving a second A/V stream at the host from a first client of a plurality of clients, wherein the plurality of clients are coupled to the host; and
transmitting a combined A/V stream to a second client of the plurality of clients,
wherein the event broadcaster is separate from the host,
wherein each client is configured to receive an event broadcast A/V stream from the event broadcaster directly,
wherein the combined A/V stream includes the first A/V stream and the second A/V stream,
wherein the combined A/V stream is configured to be presented on a display device at the second client, and
wherein the second A/V stream is presented in a respective conferencing window on the display device simultaneous with the first A/V stream.
2. The interactive video system of
3. The interactive video system of
wherein the host receives the A/V stream for the event broadcast, and
wherein the combined A/V stream includes at least a portion of the A/V stream for the event broadcast.
4. The interactive video system of
5. The interactive video system of
connect a first client of the plurality of clients to a second client of the plurality of clients, wherein the first client and second client are both coupled to the host,
produce a first combined A/V stream including an A/V stream received at the host from the first client,
produce a second combined A/V stream including an A/V stream received at the host from the second client,
transmit the first combined A/V stream to the second client, and
transmit the second combined A/V stream to the first client.
6. The interactive video system of
7. The interactive video system of
wherein the host is further configured to receive a data feed, and
wherein the combined A/V stream produced by the host includes data from the data feed received at the host.
9. The interactive video system of claim l, wherein the host is further configured to store in a storage module information related to the plurality of clients coupled to the host and information related to event broadcasts displayed at a display device of each of the plurality of clients.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of
12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of
a request to connect to a client coupled to the host, and
a request to receive, in the combined A/V stream, an A/V stream transmitted to the host from the client coupled to the host.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of
14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of
wherein the combined A/V signal further includes data of a data feed received at the host and
wherein the software is further configured to instruct the one or more processing devices to perform a step including presenting, on the display device, the data of the data feed simultaneous with the event broadcast.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of
16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of
transmitting to the host information related to the client for storage at the host and
transmitting to the host information related to event broadcasts displayed at the display device of the client for storage at the host.
18. The method of
19. The method of
receiving at the host the A/V stream for the event broadcast and
including at least a portion of the A/V stream for the event broadcast in the combined A/V stream produced.
20. The method of
21. The method of
associating a first client coupled to the host with a second client coupled to the host,
producing a first combined A/V stream including an A/V stream received at the host from the first client,
producing a second combined A/V stream including an A/V stream received at the host from the second client,
transmitting the first combined A/V stream to the second client, and
transmitting the second combined A/V stream to the first client.
22. The method of
23. The method of
receiving a data feed and
including data from the data feed in the combined A/V stream produced.
24. The method of
25. The method of
storing in a storage module information related to the plurality of clients coupled to the host and
storing in the storage module information related to event broadcasts displayed at the display device of each of the plurality of clients.
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This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/267,403, filed on Dec. 7, 2009, titled INTERACTIVE VIDEO SYSTEM, which application is incorporated in its entirety by reference in this application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interactive video system, and in particular, an interactive video system capable of combining streaming televised events with video conferencing technology to create a social television experience.
2. Related Art
Televised sporting events are often viewed in groups as the social setting enhances viewers' enjoyment of the game. However, in some situations, viewers may not be able to view the televised sporting events with their preferred friends, family, and acquaintances. Individuals may be scattered around the country, world, or otherwise unavailable. Nonetheless, viewers often seek out similar social interactions while viewing the sporting events using a variety of social media and social networking technology. For example, viewers may communicate via instant message, email, text message, or over the phone when viewing a televised sporting event.
However, viewers may not find known social networking technologies to be an adequate replacement for the social setting that accompanies group viewings of broadcast events. Further, viewers may be limited to communicating with friends one at a time using one type of social networking technology at a time. Moreover, use of social networking technology may divide the attention of the viewers between the televised broadcast and the communication device. Thus, there exists a need for an interactive video system that enables remote viewers to communicate with each other while simultaneously observing a broadcast event.
To address the above illustrated problems, an interactive video system is provided that includes a host adapted to receive a plurality of audio/visual (A/V) streams from a respective plurality of clients, where the host combines at least a portion of the plurality of A/V streams to produce a combined A/V stream and transmits the combined A/V stream. The host transmits the combined A/V stream to at least one of the plurality of clients for simultaneous presentation of the combined A/V stream with an event broadcast on a display device at least one of the plurality of clients.
In addition, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided with an executable program stored thereon for presenting an interactive video display. The program is adapted to instruct a processing device to perform the steps of transmitting an audio/visual stream to a host, receiving a combined audio/visual (A/V) stream from the host where the combined A/V stream comprises at least a portion of at least one individual A/V stream received at the host, and presenting each individual A/V stream of the combined A/V stream in a respective conferencing window simultaneous with an event broadcast on a display device.
A method presenting an interactive video display is also provided. The method includes the steps of receiving a plurality of audio/visual (A/V) streams at a host from a plurality of clients coupled to the host, combining at least a portion of the plurality of A/V streams to produce a combined A/V stream, and transmitting the combined A/V stream to at least one of the plurality of clients for simultaneous presentation of the combined A/V stream with an event broadcast on a display device at the at least one plurality of clients.
Other devices, apparatus, systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
The invention may be better understood by referring to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
Referring to
As used herein the term “A/V content” refers to audio/visual content of a signal. The signal may originate from the event broadcaster 102, the host 106, or the clients 108 as described in further detail below. Further, the signal containing the A/V content may be “streamed” as an A/V signal stream. “Streaming” refers to content that is presented to an end user as the content is delivered to and received by the end-user. As used herein, the terms “A/V signal stream,” “signal stream,” and “A/V stream” refer to A/V content that is constantly received by an end-user and presented to the end-user while the A/V content is delivered to the end-user.
The networks 110 may include, for example, a broadcast television network, a cable television network, the Internet, a cellular network, or any other suitable wired or wireless telecommunications network. The communication paths 112 may include, for example, a satellite path, a radio transmission path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, or any other suitable wired or wireless communication paths or combination of such paths. Accordingly, the broadcast event 114 may be transmitted as a terrestrial signal (i.e., “terrestrial television” or “over-the-air television”), as a wired signal using, for example, fiber-optic or coaxial cables (i.e., “cable television”), via communication satellites (i.e., “satellite television”), via an IP-based network such as, for example, the Internet (i.e., “Internet protocol television” or “IPTV”), or any other suitable broadcast medium capable of transmitting a broadcast event that includes audio/video content.
The event broadcaster 102 may transmit the broadcast event 114 as a signal (or stream) containing A/V content across the network 110 via the communication path 112 to the host 106, to the client 108, or to both the host and the client. The broadcast event 114 may be, for example, a television broadcast or an audio broadcast. One type of television broadcast includes a live, real-time televised broadcast of a sporting event. Other types of broadcast events include, but are not limited to, concert broadcasts, broadcasts of popular television shows, pay-per-view events, and the like. The event broadcaster 102 may be, for example, a television distribution facility, a music distribution studio, or any other suitable sources of television and/or audio broadcasts.
The data provider 104 may also be in communication with the host 106 to provide data feed 116 to the host. The data feed 116 may be transmitted from the data provider 104 to the host 106 across a network 110 such as the Internet (“web feed”). A web feed format that may be used to transmit the data feed 116 from the data provider 104 to the host 106 includes Really Simple Syndication (RSS). Data included in the RSS data feed 116 may relate to news updates, sports updates, or statistics relating to a “fantasy” sports game (e.g., “fantasy football”).
The host 106 includes an application server 122 and a database server 124. The application server 122 includes one or more host software applications 126 to manage communications 118 and A/V content 120 exchanged between the host 106 and the clients 108. The host software application 126 facilitates the interactive aspects of the interactive television system 100 as discussed in further detail below. The database server 124 includes one or more databases 128 for storing information relating to the clients 108 and relating to the communications 118 and A/V content 120 exchanged between the host 106 and the clients 108 as also discussed in further detail below.
Referring now to
The display device 214 and/or the communication device 208 may be in communication with the event broadcaster 102 (
The communication device 208 may be a computing device that includes a processing device, a storage device, input/output components, and other computing software and hardware. The processing device may be any form of microprocessor capable of executing the instructions or code. The storage device may be any form of data storage mechanism such as, a magnetic media, an optical disk, RAM, a flash memory, an EEPROM, and the like. The input/output components may include a network interface controller for transmitting or receiving communications across the network 110 and components for exchanging communications, data, and A/V signals with the display device 214 of the client 208.
The computing device 208 may be, for example, a console coupled to the display device 214 such as, for example, a cable-television set-top box, a satellite-television set-top box, a digital video recorder (DVR), a video game unit (e.g., a Playstation 3, an Xbox 360, or a Wii), or a personal computer. The display device 214 may be, for example, any type of television or computer monitor (e.g., a liquid crystal display, a cathode-ray tube display, an electroluminescent display, a heads-up display, a plasma display panel, or a vacuum fluorescent display), or any other suitable display device adapted to display a broadcast signal such as a television broadcast. The communication device 208 may also be incorporated in the display device 214 such as, for example, in an “Internet-ready” television.
The display unit 202 may also include various A/V input devices 220, 222 coupled to the console 208 and/or display device 214. The A/V input devices 220, 222 may receive A/V input from the user 206 at the client 200 and transmit the A/V content to the console 208. The console 208 may then transmit the A/V content captured from the user 206 to the host 102 coupled to the client 200. In the example shown, the A/V input devices include a video input device 220 (e.g., a camera or a “webcam”) coupled to the console 208 and an audio input device 222 (e.g., a microphone) coupled to the console. The video and audio input devices 220, 222 may be any device or combination of devices capable of generating audio and video signals representative of the user and transmitting the audio/video signals to the console 208 or across a network 110. An audio output device 226 such as, for example, a speaker may also be coupled to the console 208 and/or display device 214 for presenting to the user the audio content of the broadcast event 204 and the audio content 212 received from the host 106.
The display unit 202 may further include an input device 218 for receiving user input 228 and transmitting the user input to the console 208. Input devices may include, for example, a keyboard and a computer mouse. In the example shown, the input device 208 is a television remote control that transmits user input 228 to the console 208 via infrared technology.
The components of the interactive video system 100 (
The host 106 may subsequently transmit the combined A/V signal 230 back to each client 200 for simultaneous display with the broadcast event 204 on the display device 214. The combined A/V signal 230 may incorporate the A/V signals from multiple clients 200 such that an A/V signal 212 from a client 200 is overlaid on top of the A/V content 216 of the broadcast event 204 as a smaller “conference” window 232. Thus, the users 206 at each client 200 may interact and communicate with each other via the conference windows 232 while observing the broadcast event 204.
A client software application 234 (i.e., “executable program”) may reside in a storage module (not shown) of the console 208 for managing input 228 from the user and the A/V content received from the A/V devices 220, 222. The client software application 234 may also manage the display of the broadcast event A/V content 216, the combined A/V signal 230 received from the host 106, and the web feed data 236 received from the host. The web feed data 236 may be displayed across the bottom of the display device 214 as, for example, a scrolling news ticker. Alternatively, the web feed data may be displayed in columns on either side of the broadcast event A/V content 216. Other presentations for the web feed data 236 may be selectively employed. Additionally, the client software application 234 exchanges communications 210 with the host software applications 126 (
Briefly referring back to
As mentioned above in reference to
Additionally, and as discussed further below, the client software application 234 (
The database 128 may also store information relating to web feeds 116 subscribed to by a user. As discussed further below, a web feed 116 may be an RSS feed. The RSS feed 116 may be, for example, statistics and information relating to a “fantasy” sports team managed by a user at a client 108. The fantasy sports team may be provided by a third-party service provider 104 such as Yahoo or ESPN for example. As part of the service, the third-party service provider 104 may offer an RSS feed 116 that includes player performance statistics, news, and updates related to the fantasy sports team. Accordingly, the interactive video system 100 may allow a user to store the access credentials for the fantasy sports team account in the database 128. In turn, the host application 126 may use those access credentials to access the RSS feed 116 of the fantasy sports account of the user. The host application may then combine the data delivered by the RSS feed 116 in the combined A/V signal 230 (
The databases 128 may be controlled and maintained by a database management system (DBMS), and, in particular, by a relational database management system (RDBMS) or an object database management system (ODBMS). Further, the database may be accessed by the DBMS using any suitable database query language such as, for example, SQL, MySQL, or Oracle.
As set forth above in reference to
The client software application 234 may be installed on the console 208 coupled to the display device. Accordingly, the client software application 234 may be stored in a storage module (not shown) at the client and instruct a processing device (not shown) of the console to execute various tasks. The storage module may be any form of data storage mechanism accessible by the processing device or any combination of such forms, such as, a magnetic media, an optical disk, a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and the like. The processing device may be any form of microprocessor capable of executing the instructions or code of the client software application 234.
The client software application 234 may be implemented on any suitable development platform using any suitable programming language known to those skilled in the art. For example, the client application may be developed using Adobe Systems' Flash platform as an Adobe AIR application using the ActionScript programming language. Additional or alternative programming languages and/or development platforms may be selectively employed for implementing the client software application.
Further, the client software application 234 may be compiled as an executable file for execution by the processing device of the console. As further explained below, the client software application 234 may be configured to perform the following tasks: connect to the host; register users; initiate a session with the host; configure operation of the client software application; display the broadcast content, the conferencing windows, and the data from the web feed; manipulate the arrangement, position, size, and volume of the conferencing windows; browse and display descriptions for available event broadcasts; manage the user profile, friend list, and groups of a user; manage “chat room” sessions between the client and other clients coupled to the host; and invite friends to interactively observe a broadcast event via the conferencing windows.
To perform the tasks listed above, the client application 234 (
Referring now to
As an example, the server 304 may be deployed at a television provider such as a cable television or satellite television provider. The client software application 302 (e.g., “FandomLIVE”) may be stored in a storage module 308 at the server 304 of the television provider. The display device 314 at the client 306 may be a television, and the console 310 may be a cable television or satellite television receiver for receiving a television broadcast from the television provider. The television receiver 310 may present a programming guide 312 on the television 314. A user may use a remote control 218 (
Referring again to
The host software application 126 may be configured to perform the following tasks: manage the exchange of information stored and retrieved from the database; register clients 108, authenticate clients, initiate and manage client sessions; manage client chat sessions; receive the A/V signals 120 from the clients; receive and buffer the signal for the broadcast event 114; rebroadcast the signal for the broadcast event to the clients; combine the A/V signals of the broadcast and event and the A/V signals from the client to produce a combined A/V signal 230 (
To perform the tasks listed above, the host software application 126 may include the following modules or subcomponents: a registration module for processing new client registrations; an authentication module for authenticating clients 108 requesting access to the host 106; a session manager for initiating and maintaining sessions with clients coupled to the host; a client chat session manage for managing client “chat rooms;” an audio and video encoder for encoding the A/V content received at the host; and a communication manager for routing emails, chat messages, and other communications between clients coupled to the host. The video encode may encode the A/V signal for the broadcast event 144 and the A/V signals 120 received from the clients using a format compatible with the video decoder and multimedia player at the clients. A suitable video format may be, for example, the FLV format, which may be available from Adobe Systems Incorporated as mentioned above.
The host 106 may be configured to initiate a session with a client 108 for exchanging communications 118, receiving A/V content 120 from the clients, and for transmitting a combined A/V signal 230 to the client. As mentioned above, the client 108 may be configured to initiate a session with the host 106 and the host may be configured to authorize the client. If a client 108 has not yet registered for access to the host 106, the user at the client may transmit desired access credentials (e.g., a username and password) to the host. The host 106 may store the user access credentials in the database 128 and associate the access credentials with a profile for the client and user. Once a user has registered, the user may send a request for access from the client 108 to the host 106. The request may include the access credentials of the user. An authenticator (not shown) at the host 106 may verify the access credentials received from the client 108 with the credentials stored for the user in the database 128. If the credentials match, the host 106 initiates a session with the client 108 whereby the client may exchange communications 118 and A/V content 120 with the host.
The user may indicate a desire to select application features from the main menu 404 by, for example, moving highlight region 406, or in other implementations a cursor or other selectable device, to highlight the desired feature and pressing an “OK” key on the remote control 218 (
A. MyFandom Feature
As mentioned above, application feature 410 activates the MYFANDOM feature of the client application. The MYFANDOM feature enables the user to connect with and view personal, statistical, and other information about other network users. As used herein, the term “network user” refers to any client user (
As illustrated, the option buttons may include a “Friends” option 512 and an “Add Friends” option 514. In response to a user's selection of the “Friends” option 512, the application may, for example, provide a listing of user friends 602 in the option window 502 that the user may invite to watch a broadcast event, as illustrated in
In response to a user's selection of the “Add Friend” option 514, the application may, for example, provide a window that enables the user to manually input and save information regarding a network user onto the user's “friends” database, such as their username, personal name, or email address, for example. In other implementations, the system may, for example, provide a listing of network users who are registered with the network and the user may add them as user friends by selecting their user names from the listing, a request is sent to the network user asking them to join the user's “box seats” as a “friend.” If the network user “accepts” the request, the application will save the network user's information to the system database 128 (
If desired, as shown in the figures herein, the main menu 404 may appear above each feature, option, and mode screen as the user navigates through the client application. This feature enables the user to instantly activate any of the application features 410, 420, 430, 440 regardless of the feature, mode, or option currently accessed by the user. In addition, as shown in
The option button 704 may include a “Select Game” option feature. In response to a user's selection of the “Select Game” option 512, the application may, for example, provide a listing of sporting events 802 in the option window 702 that the user may wish to view, as illustrated in
B. FantasyLive Feature
A second application feature of the client application of the present invention may include the FANTASYLIVE application feature 420. The FANTASYLIVE feature enables the user to interact with other network real-time while viewing a broadcast event.
As illustrated in
In the “Fantasy League(s)” mode feature 906, as shown, the option window 902 may include a leader 920, one or more graphics 922, and a region 924 for displaying a listing of other network users comprising, for example, a fantasy sports league.
The leader 920 may include option buttons 926 and 928 and a region 930 for displaying information about, for example, the status of the user's fantasy teams and leagues. As illustrated, the option buttons may include a “Leaderboard” option 926 and an “Add A League” option 928. If the user selects the “Leaderboard” option 926, the application, for example, links via RSS feed to each fantasy sports league site to which the user has saved, for example in the user profile, username and login information, and displays a listing 1002 of user's respective fantasy leagues in the option window 902, as illustrated in
Returning back to the “Fantasy League(s)” mode main menu screen 900 illustrated in
As illustrated, the “Fantasy League(s)” option window 902 may include one or more graphics 922. Each graphic 922 represents, for example, an opposing fantasy player, which may be listed according to statistical ranking. Each graphic 922 may display, for example, a team logo or image 932 and user information 934 such as, for example, user ratings, winning percentage, user rankings, and the fantasy league to which the user belongs.
Region 924 may, for example, display a listing of the users past, present, and future fantasy league opponents. Each opponent may be identified by a selectable banner 936 displaying the network user's registered username. The banner may include a status indicator 938 to identify whether a network user is currently logged onto or logged off of the network.
When a particular sporting event of interest is currently airing, a selectable “Enter FantasyLive” option button 940 may be displayed below the fantasy league opponent's user banner 936. The “Enter FantasyLive” option button 904 activates the FantasyLive interactive video feature, which may allow the user to watch a live televised sporting event, while interacting via video conferencing with other selected network users, for example in this instance, a fantasy league opponent.
When the user selects the “Enter FantasyLive” option 904, as illustrated in
The main video image 1102 may include, for example, a streaming or television broadcast video image of a live televised event, such as a football game. In this example, the user display windows 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107 (also known as “fan windows”) correspond to network users that the user has selected in the “BoxSeats,” “TheHole,” and/or the “Fantasy League” option windows 502, 702 and 902 to simultaneously watch the broadcasted event with himself/herself.
In the “FantasyLive” mode, the user may communicate with other network users via the user display windows 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107 and webcam/microphone devices 222, 220 (
Returning back to
Optionally, as illustrated in
In addition to video networking capabilities, the client application may enable the user to instant message or “chat” with another network user during a live event. Returning to the implementation of the present invention illustrated in
For instance, when the “chat” option icon 1112 is selected, an instant messaging (IM) window 1200 may be displayed over the main video image 1102, as illustrated in
Returning now to
For example, as shown in
When the user selects the “Control Panel” option 1122, the “Remote Control” feature 1306 appears as the default mode feature. In the “Remote Control” feature, as shown, the user may use a remote control to change, for example, the television channel of the broadcasted video image 1102. The television programming on the current channel may be displayed in the control window to provide the user the opportunity to view the television programming while scrolling through the channels.
If the user selects the “Invite Friend” feature 1307, the application may, for example, provide a listing of user friends 1402 in the control window 1302 that the user may invite to watch a broadcast event, as illustrated in
If the user selects the “Invite Chat” feature 1308, the application may, for example, provide a listing of user friends 1502 in the control window 1302 that the user may invite to participate in a chat session during a broadcast event, as illustrated in
If the user selects the “Exit Fullscreen” feature 1309, the application may, for example, prompt the user to select whether the user wants to return to the “FandomLive” home page. If the user selects the prompt, the user may be retuned back to the application main menu 400.
As illustrated in
When the user selects the “Research” feature mode 909, a text input field 1902 for entering text and a “Research” button 1904 for transmitting a search request to, for example, a global network may be provided in the option window 902. In the “Research” mode, the user may search for, among other things, a particular sports team, player, or coach. Once a search request is sent by the user, the results are displayed in the option window 902 in hyperlinked headlines format (with a 55 word story tag). The user may click or otherwise select a headline to, for example, read an article in full format in the option window 902.
C. Community Feature
A third application feature of the client application of the present invention may include the COMMUNITY application feature 430. The COMMUNITY application feature enables the user to access news and social media concerning, for example, sports.
As illustrated in
In the same way, the second display window 2004 may, for example, display news articles and other information. In this window, headline news articles, for example, may be listed by title, which may be hyperlinked, and the user may access a particular news article by highlighting or clicking the title with a remote controller, cursor, or other selectable device. When a news article is selected by the user, the full text of the article is, likewise, fed to the application via an FSS feed and displayed, for example, in the second window 2004. A scroll bar 2010 may appear along the right side of the second display window 2004 to enable the user to scroll through the complete article. While news articles and Internet blogs are described herein as being displayed in display windows 2002 and 2004, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that other information, social, and news reporting media may be displayed in display windows 2002 and 2004.
D. Setup Options Feature
A second application feature of the client application of the present invention may include the SETUP OPTIONS application feature 440. The SETUP OPTIONS application feature enables the user to enter and change certain stored user information and adjust certain system attributes.
As illustrated in
In the “Profile” mode feature 2106, the user may create or change a user profile. As shown, in the “Profile” mode feature 2106 a graphic 2120 and a series of selectable option button 2122 may appear in the option window 2102. The graphic 2120 may depict certain stored profile information about the user such as, for example, the user's username, tag line, location, favorite sport, and favorite sports team. In addition to user information, the graphic may also display an image of the user or a logo of the user's favorite sports team.
As shown, the series of selectable option button 2122 may include, for example, a “Profile ID” option button, a “Profile Image” option button, a “Tag Line” option button, a “Location” option button, a “Favorite Sport” option button, and a “Favorite Team” option button. By selecting one or more of these option buttons 2122, text fields may appear to enable the user enter or change profile information about himself/herself. This information may include, for example, the user's username or profile ID, famous tag line, resident location, favorite sport, favorite sports team. In addition, the user may also upload an image of himself/herself or the logo of the user's favorite sports team, for example. Once the profile information is entered or changed by the user, the profile information may be stored in a user data file on the system database 128 (
In the “Account Settings” mode feature 2107, the user may provide or update certain billing information pertaining to the user. As shown in
The region 2204 displaying billing information may provide, for example, the user's name, billing information, redacted credit card information, and date through which the user's account payments are current.
In the “Customize Game View” mode feature 2108, the user may customize the background graphics and configuration of the display screen. As shown in
By selecting the “Change Background” option 2302, the user may scroll through a series of stored background images. Once a desired background image is selected by the user, a selected background image 2306 may appear against a depicted video image 2308 in the video window 2300.
By selecting the “Video Conferencing Window Size” option 2304, the user may be provided with a control panel that enables the user to resize and adjust the position where the user display windows 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107 will appear on the display screen (
In the “System” mode feature 2109, the user may adjust certain camera, audio, and system settings. As shown in
The system settings field 2406 may include a set of selectable option buttons 2420, 2422, 2424. Option button 2420 may be selected by the user to, for example, control various network settings. Option button 2422 may be selected by the user to, for example, adjust the system security settings. Option button 2424 may be selected by the user to, for example, download any system software updates.
In the “Ticker” mode feature 2110, the user may adjust certain attributes of the scrolling ticker 1120 (
The above illustrated example, in connection with
In addition, while the examples herein describe a “broadcast event” as a telecasted live sports event, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that a “broadcast event” may also include a live or pre-recorded, televised or streamed musical or theatrical performance. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a “broadcast event” may also include the display of audio/visual media or content from any source.
In general, terms such as “communication” and in . . . communication with” (for example, a first component “communicates with” or “is in communication with” a second component) are used herein to indicate a structural, functional, mechanical, electrical, signal, optical, magnetic, electromagnetic, ionic or fluidic relationship between two or more components or elements. As such, the fact that one component is said to communicate with a second component is not intended to exclude the possibility that additional components may be present between, and/or operatively associated or engaged with, the first and second components.
Although the previous description only illustrates particular examples of various implementations, the invention is not limited to the foregoing illustrative examples. A person skilled in the art is aware that the invention as defined by the appended claims can be applied in various further implementations and modifications. In particular, a combination of the various features of the described implementations is possible, as far as these features are not in contradiction with each other. Accordingly, the foregoing description of implementations has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the claimed inventions to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above description or may be acquired from practicing the invention. The claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.
Hartman, Anthony, Shaw, George
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